Children's books that present a powerful message

I am a Bear is a hardcover, illustrated children's book that tells the story of a stuffed bear who lives on the streets. At first the bear is confused/in a state of denial, because his situation does not make any sense to him. Who ever heard of a bear living on the streets? He tries to engage people, but most people are afraid of him, act like he isn't there, or are just disgusted by him. Eventually, he gives up and resorts to eating out of trash cans at night and sleeping all day on cardboard boxes. One day a girl discovers him, talks to him, and treats him with respect. Her father, however, sees her doing so, and pulls her away, explaining to her why she should not be doing that. She shows up the next day on her way to school, and every other day after that as well, giving the bear hope and causing the bear to feel valued again. The book is illustrated very well and contains a powerful message on homelessness. The words help shed light on the thought process/stages a homeless person might go through, and the pictures add a real touch of humanity to the bear. This is a very powerful read, done through the lens of a children's book!

Moletown is a hardcover, illustrated children's book with only a few words on the first and last pages. The story begins by telling us about one mole who discovered a beautiful, green meadow and lived there by himself underground. As the story progresses, we see more moles arrive. At first it's just a few more who live in separate areas underground. Eventually, there are too many moles to count. Underground has morphed into this giant dig, with pulleys, carts of dirt being excavated, and even machinery to remove dirt faster. More mole holes pop up in the meadow, and these are emitting pollution. The few holes for other moles have turned into elaborate houses with technology absorbing their lives, and some even wishing not to be disturbed. Soon the underground is overrun with shops and so much traffic that cars can only inch along. Many generations have passed when the story ends, and the lush, green meadow is now a pile of dirt, filled with technology and pollution. However, there is still one patch of grass left, so it doesn't end on a completely hopeless note, but instead the end pages offer snippets of solutions/change. The is an interesting book that encourages a balance of progress and preservation, and does a nice job delivering the message with few words needed.

These books were provided to me by Eerdmans Publishing and NorthSouth Books, respectively, in exchange for honest reviews.

The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories (NorthSouth Books)

Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865. That was a little over 150 years ago. To celebrate the birth of this amazing writer, NorthSouth Books has published a beautiful edition of The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories. Many of us know the bare minimum of The Jungle Book story thanks to Walt Disney's popular movie, but there is so much more to the story than Disney showed us. Allow me to tell you about it. The book is divided into sixteen chapters and contains the familiar characters, we've all come to know. There is Mowgli, Baloo the bear, Akela the wolf, Bagheera the panther, Hathi the elephant, Kaa the python, and Shere Khan tiger.

In the first chapter, we see are introduced to Mother Wolf and Father Wolf. They are part of Akela's pack and have just had a litter of pups. While they are tending to their young, a young boy (Mowgli) wandered to them. At first they didn't know what to make of him and were worried, but they decided to adopt him as their own. Shere Khan did not like this and wanted Mowgli for his own, so he could eat him. The wolves protected him and after Shere Khan fled, they took him to Akela. Listening to Mother and Father Wolf vouch for the young boy, Mowgli was accepted into the pack. His mentors became Akela, Baloo, and Bagheera. The stories in this book take us all through Mowgli's childhood. We see him abducted by monkeys, fight Shere Khan, and actually attempt to rejoin a human village. After each chapter, there is a poem that relates to the story we just heard. Thus, this book is both prose and poetry and a beautiful mix at that.

So why would you want to purchase a book that is in public domain? For starters, you are getting a fine hardcover, which to some might not sound like a lot, but to me is worth its weight in gold. With so many books, now being ebooks or paperbacks, it's getting harder and harder to find quality publishing. The other big selling point of this book is the illustrations. They are not on every page, but they are still abundant. The illustrator, Aljoscha Blau, shows a level of detail in them that draw you in and keep you coming back to look at them. They not only complement the stories, but elevate them to another level. NorthSouth Books is a publisher I don't have a great deal of familiarity with, but if these are the kind of books they produce, they have a new fan and supporter. Be sure to check out some of their other beautiful hardcovers, including Heidi and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.

This book was provided to me for free by NorthSouth Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!